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Monday, December 22, 2014

AG Gani, action speaks louder than words!

22/12/2014 - 11:00

Ng Kee Seng

QUICK TAKE: Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail told
Christians at a dialogue in Kuching that they were free to use Bibles
containing the word "Allah anywhere in the country”, including in
Selangor.

Is that so, Gani?

Then what were the raids and Bible seizures in Sarawak, Selangor
and Johor about? Why are you not swiftly acting to stop the continuous
intimidation by certain quarters?

Why do you hesitate to act swiftly when you are known to on many
other issues, especially on the use of the Sedition Act against selective
"offenders"?

Why are you so lenient on the racial and religious slurs spewed
by bigots?

After all the past, do you still expect peace-loving,
colour-blind Malaysians to have faith or confidence in what you say?

They must be morons to believe such an oxymoron AG.

Come on Gani. If the raids and Bible seizures were justified,
you would not have hesitated a second to charge those found using such Bibles
to propagate Christianity to Muslims.

The fact is none of the Bibles seized were used for any purpose
of propagating Christianity to Muslims. Not a single person, thus far, has been
charged in the raids and seizures speaks volumes of the sinister actions of the
religious culprits aided by the police.

The Malaysian Insider quoted Gani as saying: “You can use it
anywhere in the country as long as you do not use it for propagating
Christianity to Muslims."

Addressing a dialogue organised by the Department of National
Unity and Integration on Dec 13, Gani told Christian leaders: "Even if you
want to use it in Selangor, I honestly do not see anything wrong."

Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen's assistant Mordi Brimol, who
attended the dialogue, described it as “a waste of time”.

Brimol said judging from the reactions and questions posed to
the AG, most of those who attended the event were unconvinced that they could
use the Bibles, particularly the Malay Alkitab and the Iban Bup Kudus, in
Selangor without harassment from the state's Islamic religious authorities or
the police.

Brimol, who said he had “sneaked in” after hearing of the
dialogue, recorded the proceedings and a copy of it was shared with The
Malaysian Insider.

The AG, in his opening statement, had told the Christian leaders
that “it is wrong to say the Bible cannot use the word 'Allah'".

“You can use it but you cannot use that Bible with the word
'Allah' to propagate Christianity to Muslims.

“If you use among your congregations and to fellow Christians,
then it is no issue whether in Sarawak or in the peninsula,” he had said.

“It is your right under the constitution.

“That's what the law is all about,” Gani had said, referring to
the rights of other religions to practice their beliefs as guaranteed in the
Federal Constitution.

“I will defend my position even if the sultan starts telling me
(that it's not allowed).”

He did not say which sultan but later told the leaders that he
had defied “a direct order of the Sultan of Selangor” to burn the 351 copies of
the Alkitab and Bup Kudus which Jais had seized from the premises of the Bible
Society of Malaysia in January.

Gani said that despite the protection given to Christians by the
constitution, he knew “many people would not be happy with me, (from) both
sides (for saying all this)”.

Brimol said the church leaders then asked if it was their right
under the constitution to use the word Allah, why did they have to fight for
that right in court.

“They asked why did Jais seize the Alkitab and Bup Kudus, why
were the seized Bibles stamped with the warning they could not be used in
Selangor when they were finally released, and why did government departments,
like the Immigration Department, seize a consignment of religious CDs at KLIA2?

“The questions posed showed they were just not convinced by the
AG's assurance.”

Brimol said he, too, was not convinced even though Gani had made
some strong statements, including standing up to the sultan on legal matters.

In postings on his Facebook, Brimol stated that Gani gave
“evasive” and “unconvincing” explanations.

“His explanation all hinged on his personal view... 'my view is'
or 'I have no problem with that'...

“Throughout the question-and-answer session, I was of the
opinion that he was evasive in answering the questions and would only give safe
answers or those that he thought we wanted to hear.

“To sum it all up, everything was left hanging,” he said.

Apart from the Allah issue and Bible seizures, questions were
also raised on the words linked to Islam which state governments like Johor,
Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor and
Terengganu had banned non-Muslims from using.

Gani said the Federal Constitution did not allow the states to
make any laws “to prohibit the use of any word or any action”.

He added that the ban on the words “does not show anything
good”.

“I hope the Muslims take that into consideration.”

The dialogue was attended by most church leaders, including the
heads of the state's two biggest denominations, Archbishop Datuk Bolly Lapok,
the Anglican church head for Southeast Asia and Archbishop Datuk John Ha of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kuching.

Lapok also currently chairs the grouping of all churches in
Sarawak, the Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS).

Gani, if you are really sincere in what you said at the
dialogue, why don't you for once start showing peace-loving Malaysians that you
are no hypocrite through firm action against the religious extremists.

Action speaks louder than words, isn't that so?

-
See more at:
http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/AG-Gani-action-speaks-louder-than-words#sthash.XwFDls3E.dpuf

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